Texas A&M Veterinary Team Saves Kitten From Rare Congenital Abnormality

Story by Ellie Hert, VMBS Marketing & Communications

April 8, 2026

When Kalyn Scott picked up her Sphynx kitten, Kai, at 7 weeks old, she immediately fell in love with his playful personality and big heart. The last thing she could have imagined for her fun-loving and affectionate kitten was having him undergo major surgery to save his life.

However, after Kai was diagnosed with congenital Persistent Right Aortic Arch (PRAA) — a rare condition in which blood vessels constrict the esophagus at the heart base — that’s exactly the position she found herself in. 

After his diagnosis, Kai was referred to the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Small Animal Teaching Hospital (SATH), where Dr. Brian Taylor, a second-year resident in the Soft Tissue Surgery Service, and other SATH experts performed a life-saving procedure to help Kai’s esophagus return to normal.

Correcting the Constriction

Kai’s issues started when he was about 4 months old and Scott noticed him regurgitating food when eating. 

“He started throwing up and I thought this was totally not normal,” Scott said. “After a few bouts of that, I consulted with my veterinarian and transitioned him to a higher-quality diet. But he still showed the same results.”

Scott’s veterinarian then referred Kai to another veterinarian for more advanced imaging, which led to both his PRAA diagnosis and another referral — this time, to Texas A&M, where his diagnosis was confirmed. 

PRAA is rare, especially in cats, and is usually diagnosed around 3-5 months of age or when the kitten is weaned. It limits the animal’s ability to swallow and ultimately leads to the inability to ingest adequate nutrients.

“It’s a congenital abnormality that can occur in dogs, cats, and even humans,” Taylor said. “During development, the blood vessels surrounding the heart can entrap the esophagus. This constriction creates a fixed obstruction, preventing the normal passage of solid food. As a result, food accumulates at the level of the obstruction, leading to regurgitation or the passive upbringing of food.”

At the SATH, Kai’s care team performed a left thoracotomy, a procedure that requires a surgeon to make a cut on the left side of the chest to reach the heart, lungs, or other chest organs. 

“After you locate what is called the ligamentum arteriosum, you transect that to release the vascular ring that was squeezing the esophagus,” Taylor said. “The overall goal of the procedure is to minimize future regurgitation.”

While the procedure can be risky — with complications that can include nerve damage — Kai’s procedure was smooth and he has recovered nicely, experiencing only one additional regurgitation episode.

“Once the esophagus is stretched, sometimes the nerves that help keep things flowing are damaged to the point where they can’t return to normal,” Taylor said. “But after his procedure, Kai did really well.”

Now, Kai only has a small scar underneath his armpit where the incision was, something for which Scott is very thankful.

“With him being a sphynx cat and having no fur, I have to give them credit for the placement of his scar,” Scott said. “He doesn’t have some big disfigurement that’s really apparent. They were very detailed and considerate because he’s a little naked kitty.”

Full Hearts

While in the hospital, Kai proved to be a staff-favorite. Although she was worried about him, Scott said she received several reports that Kai enjoyed sitting in everyone’s laps and being part of the fun, which gave her solace.

“They even made him a little sweater out of some socks since he is a little naked guy,” Scott said. “They definitely took such good care of him and loved on him, which made me feel more comfortable leaving him.”

Overall, Scott said she really enjoyed her experience with Texas A&M.

“I never expected so much compassion when it comes to animal care,” Scott said. “Starting from the person who handled us at the front desk to the assistant who helped check us in and the doctor who met with us for the initial consultation, it was the best possible care we could have received, given the situation.”

Upon returning home, Kai has been able to resume all of his daily kitten activities. He still has residual megaesophagus, meaning his esophagus is still slightly dilated, but he is expected to grow to full size. Kai is projected to have a happy and healthy adult life.

“Our primary care vet said that if we had delayed care, this megaesophagus condition would have affected him for his whole life,” Scott said. “Because we were able to act quickly on this, he has a good prognosis that the megaesophagus may resolve on its own. You don’t expect a new kitten to go through all of this, but I feel extremely blessed to have had such exceptional care.”

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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216

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